She Will Be Loved
by XoDanzn4ShSoX
Summary: Lucas tries to start his life over in Charleston but after meeting someone who links him back to his past, he finds himself back in Tree Hill. Can this person help him win back the girl he loves or will demons from the past haunt them all?
1. Welcome to Charleston

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own One Tree Hill or anything else involved with it. (Except Carley who we will meet later )**

**She Will Be Loved... Chapter 1**

They say if you love something, let it go. And that's exactly what Lucas Scott was doing. Tree Hill was the only real home he had ever had and now he was leaving it behind.

"You ready for this?", Keith Scott, Lucas' uncle said from the driver side of their car. Lucas stared out of the window at the "Welcome to Charleston" sign they passed.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied back.

And with that...his journey had begun.

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The two pulled into the parking lot of a small diner named "Jerry's Lunch-In". The sign was old and dirty, with a whole in the 'L' and wires sticking out of the back.

"People come here?" Lucas asked amusingly at the sight of the diner.

"Yea well, right now choosers can't be picky. Plus, I hear this diner has the best hamburger in town," Keith said, getting out of the car. Lucas followed him slowly into the diner.

"I'll be right with you!" a voice yelled from behind the counter at the sound of the bell on the door when they came in. "Seat yourself!"

"Nice service huh?" Lucas said with a smirk as they found a booth and began reading the menu. "We wouldn't have to wait at mom's cafe," he mumbled under his breath.

"Lucas, this isn't Tree Hill. If you want to stay down here with me you're gonna have to give Charleston a chance," Keith said, leaning towards to Lucas.

"I know I know...it's just going to take some time," he said as a cute young waitress walked over to their table.

"Sorry about the wait. My name is Carley and I'll be your waitress. Our specials today are the grilled chicken, clam chowder, and a special apple cinnamon pie. Can I start you guys off with some drinks?" she said from memory, not even looking up from her pad. She looked about 15 or 16, with shoulder-blade length dirty blonde hair and blue-green eyes. She wore a black tank top, light blue jeans, and a red apron filled with napkins and straws.

"Umm yes I'll have a beer," Keith told her. Lucas only stared at her. _She seems so familiar_.

"And you?" she said looking at Lucas.

"Sounds good, I'll have a beer too," he told her with a smile. She laughed for a second.

"Cute newbie but try something that won't get me fire," she said, smiling back at him.

"I guess I'll just have a coke."

"Alrighty, I'll have those in just a sec," Carley said, walking back to the counter. Moments later she returned with their drinks and took their orders. The two finished their meals but when they got their check, Carley had been replaced but an older woman named Sharlene.

"Something about her was really familiar," Lucas said as they left the diner.

"Who? Sharlene?" Keith said with a laugh.

"No...that Carley girl. Something about her.." he paused for a second. "I don't know she just reminds me of someone. Her attitude."

"Well I'd imagine she's used to suckers like you," Keith replied, climbing into the car.

"Ahhh funny Keith, real funny," Lucas said, climbing in as well.

The two left the diner and drove a few blocks to their new home. The neighborhood was small with one-story houses sprinkled across the area. They drove a little ways before Keith finally slowed down and came to a stop infront of a small white house.

"This is it....welcome to home Lucas."

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Hours later, Lucas and Keith had finished bringing in all of their belongings into the house. Keith was sitting on a chair in the "kitchen" drinking coffee and Lucas was looking longingly out of the small window above the sink.

"You know, there's a basketball court in the middle of the neighborhood," Keith said as he watched Lucas stare out of the window.

"Really?!"

"Yeah...go ahead. Go have fun. I've got it here."

"Are you sure Keith? I mean we have a lot of work to be done," Lucas said, unsure what to do.

"No no you're fine. We've got plenty of time to get settled in."

Lucas ran through the small house to the room that was to be his and found a box labeled 'Ravens'. Inside was his jersey, pictures taken from the past year, a few books, and his basketball. He grabbed the basketball and quickly walked out of the house. He soon found himself jogging to the small court, only to find it was already occupied by a short blonde girl.

Lucas slowed down and finally stopped as he watched the girl in action from behind. She was quick and precise in her movements as she ran a lay-up. Lucas soon noticed that the girl was Carley, the waitress from the diner.

"Hey, mind if I shoot?" Lucas called out to her as she began to dribble for another lay-up.

"Only if you can actually get it in," she said, not even looking over at Lucas.

"Well I don't know....what's in it for me?" he asked with a sly smile on his face. This stopped Carley. She looked over at him and smiled at his question.

"Hey buddy, this is my court. Unless you can prove you're worth it's time then you can just head back to whatever little small town you came from."

"That small town is called Tree Hill and if I wanted to go there then I wouldn't be here," Lucas said, testing his shoulder as he raised his arms to shoot.

"Whoa whoa stop," Carley said, putting her hand on his basketball.

"What?"

"You're from Tree Hill? I used to live there," she told him.

"I thought you were familiar. Something about you just struck me."

"Are you sure it wasn't my beauty stopping you in your tracks?" Carley asked with a smile as she shot a 3 pointer.

"Why don't we play a little one-on-one and then we'll see how much you stop me," Lucas said, shooting from the same spot she had shot from. _Whoosh!_

"You've got yourself a deal newbie."

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An hour later the score was tied but Lucas was preparing to shoot.

"He dribbles left, he dribbles right, he dribbles in a circle. I don't know if Carley can keep up with him!" Lucas said, giving a play by play with his every movement. Finally he caught her and she stepped too soon, giving him the chance to run a lay up.

"I do believe I just won! What do you know? Am I worth your court now?" Lucas said as Carley shook her head at his antics.

"Yeah I _guess_ you're worth it. But you got to take care of it. Otherwise I'll kill ya!" she said, laughing. The two stopped and stared at each other for a moment.

"I guess I should get going. I still have some things to unpack," Lucas said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I should go too," replied Carley, a little flustered. Lucas began walking towards his house when Carley ran up to him.

"Hey wait Mr. Tree Hill. You come and beat me in basketball and take my court away and I don't even know your name."

"I'm not taking your court away, I'm just borrowing it. And my name is Lucas. Lucas Scott."

And with that, Lucas walked away leaving Carley standing on the court along, and shocked.

"No way. It can't be," she whispered to herself. She thought for a moment and remembered a picture she had at home. "My world just became a whole lot more complicated."

**Well? What do you think? Lemme know if I should keep going!**


	2. Link to the Past

**Wow you guys are awesome! I didn't expect all those reviews so soon! Well, here's chapter 2! Hope you like it!!**

When Lucas returned to the house, Keith was sitting in the kitchen waiting for him.

"And where did you get that smile from?" Keith asked at Lucas' grin as he walked into the kitchen.

"Ohhh no where. Just played a little basketball....." Keith raised his eyebrows. "With a girl," Lucas added.

"I knew it!" Lucas lowered his head laughing and then looked up to see Keith was now serious.

"What?"

"Luke...I know you just got here and you don't know anybody...but don't you think you should take some time before you go running after some girl? I mean, look at what you left back home. You don't want to start that here do you?" asked Keith.

"Keith this is different. No one here knows me or my story. No one looks at me because of what they've heard. They'll hear it from me. And for once I feel like I have control on what's actually going on in my life. And playing with Carley is not a big deal. It's basketball. I'd play with a 90 year old woman just as long as I could play," Lucas explained.

"Carley? Isn't that the cute waitress from the diner?"

"It is," Lucas said, walking towards the door to the hallway. "And you'd never belive it Keith. She says she used to live in Tree Hill. How weird is that?" he asked. He turned and walked down the hallway to his room as Keith thought about what he had just said.

"Carley?" he asked himself. His eyes widened as realization hit him of who Carley was. "Lucas, you better watch what you get yourself into," he whispered to himself.

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As Lucas was in his new room smiling at the thoughts of what happened at the court, Carley was in her room digging through a box of letters.

"It's in here somewhere. God why did this have to happen to me?!" she asked, shifting through letter after letter. "Aha!" She found what she was looking for and opened it quickly. Inside was a picture of her sister smiling happily in the arms of Lucas. Just then her cell phone rang. She checked the caller I.D. and groaned.

"Baby sister, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were ignoring me. I called you like 4 times today, where were you? Oh well, whatever I got you now, right?" the voice on the other end rambled.

"Yea you've got me now Brooke," Carley said quietly, still staring at the picture in her hands.

"What's wrong? Is it a boy? Because boys have just been bringing all women in general down if you ask me," Brooke said as she looked through a magazine and flipped through channels on her tv.

"Why? What's going on over there?" Carley asked quickly, getting the subject off of her.

"Well....you remember that guy Lucas I told you about. The one who took my heart and threw down his garbage disposal?" Carley's eyes widened.

"Umm...yeah yeah...I think so," she stuttered.

"Yeah well...he moved," Brooke said sadly. "Left me a letter. Says he'll always be there for me when I need him, even though he's so far away. I don't know it's weird. I thought I was getting over him but now that I won't get to see him anymore....well...it breaks my heart even more."

"Brooke you'll bounce back. When have you ever let a boy get to you?"

"I haven't....until now. Even after everything we've been through and all that he did to me I still can't help but wish I was with him." Brooke was quiet now. She had stopped looking at her magazine and now picked up a picture frame that had been turned down just weeks earlier. It was a picture of her and Lucas sitting on the picnic table at the riverside court. Lucas had his arms around her and she was smiling brightly and leaning on his shoulder. The couple in the picture looked very much in love. Too bad things had to change. "What's even weirder though is that he moved to Charleston! I mean he might even be near you right now."

Carley coughed and dropped the picture in her hand, the same picture Brooke was looking at in her room. She had to tell Brooke what was going on.

"Brooke....I've....kinda already...seen Lucas," Carley said slowly into her phone.

"WHAT?! When? Where? Did you guys talk? What'd he say? Did he mention me?" Brooke asked at a million miles an hour.

"He came to the diner I work at. And I think he lives in this neighborhood because he was at the court when I was there. We played and he said he was from Tree Hill but I didn't catch on until he told me his name and then he was gone! Brooke I'm so sorry!" Carley rushed, falling back onto her bed.

"Sorry? Sorry for what? I mean all you did was talk right?" Carley paused."RIGHT?!" Brooke asked, beginning to get upset.

"YES! All we did was talk I promise. I wouldn't do that to you Brooke, you know that."

"Yeah I thought that about Peyton too but hey, looks like you can't really trust anyone," a now bitter Brooke said.

"I though you guys were past that," said Carley.

"We are.....kinda. I can't stay mad at her forever because she's my best friend but I can't just forget what she did, you know?"

"Yeah," Carley said quietly. She looked at her stereo and the time 1:27 glowed brightly at her. "Hey sis, I better go. I have to be at work at 8."

"Okay well...let me know what happens. With Lucas and all. Okay?" Brooke asked quietly, finally putting the picture down of her and Lucas.

"Of course. And everything will be ok. I promise," Carley told her. "I love you Brooke."

"I love you too baby sister. Take care down there."

"You too. Bye."

"...Bye." And with that Carley closed her phone. Just when things were calming down in her life, this had to happen.

"Who knew one boy could cause so much trouble?" she asked herself, closing her eyes and falling to sleep.

**Sorry this one was short guys but I promise I'll make the next one longer. I should update in the next day or so. **


	3. Making Ends with the Past

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. Things have been crazy lately. But here it is as promised. A much longer chapter and we finally hear Carley's story. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Sidenote: I know according to the WB the cast on OTH is supposed to be about 15 or 16 and sophomores but I seriously cannot see sophomores going through what they went through on the first season. So I've put them at about 17-18 and this is their summer before senior year. Sorry if there's any confusion!**

She Will Be Loved..... Chapter 3

"Making Ends with the Past"

Lucas awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon frying in the kitchen. As he slowly made his way out of bed and into the kitchen, he began thinking about Carley.

_'I can't believe she used to live in Tree Hill. How come I never saw her around? Oh well...I guess I'll get to know her now,' _he thought.

"Lucas! Hurry up if you want any of this!" Keith yelled as he took 2 pieces of toast out of the toaster and added them to the plate sitting on the table.

"Keith? You can cook?" Lucas asked with a smile on his face, sitting down and putting 3 pieces of bacon on his plate.

"Oh shut up and just eat it. If you want to eat you're gonna have to deal with it." Together, the two finished eating their breakfast as Keith read the newspaper, passing each section along to Lucas when he was done.

"So Keith, what are your plans for today?" Lucas asked, reading over the Sports section.

"Well, I have an appointment with the principal at the high school and then I get to start preparing my lesson plan for the year," Keith replied, downing his fourth piece of toast. Lucas laughed and Keith gave him a questioning look.

"Nothing," he said. "It's just weird hearing you talk about 'school' and 'lesson plans'... something I'm gonna have to get used to I guess."

"And you?" Keith asked. "What are you planning to do here all by yourself?"

"Well actually, I was going to unpack a little...maybe read some...play some basketball....stop by the diner...nothing big," Lucas said.

"Lucas, be careful at the diner. I don't want you getting too involved with Carley," Keith said, a serious look on his face.

"When did I say I was getting involved with Carley? I just met the girl! I don't know anything about her!"

"That's the point Lucas! Did you think maybe there was a reason Carley left Tree Hill?" Keith asked.

"What do you know Keith?" Lucas asked. "What are you hiding?"

"Look...if you want to know about her, you're going to have to ask her," Keith said, standing up from the table and picking up the now empty plates.

"Okay fine... I will." Lucas got up also, and began walking towards the bathroom. Moments later, Keith heard the shower cut on and he shook his head.

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Carley's morning had begun with three angry customers waiting for their coffee.

"Carley, you're late! You better get a move on before I lose customers!" Jerry, her boss and owner of the diner, yelled from the kitchen.

"Sorry sorry sorry! I overslept!," she said, running behind the counter and tying her apron on in record speed. Within seconds, the three customers were now sipping their coffee and Carley was catching her breath. Five minutes later Jerry walked out of the kitchen.

"Carley, I can't have this being late thing. I have customers who are regulars and they're not gonna wait for some 16 year old who can't set her alarm," Jerry told her, checking to make sure the napkin holders on the counter were full.

"I know! I know.... It's just been bad lately," Carley replied, wiping off the counter.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that Carley but I have a business I'm trying to run. And if I can't count on one of my waitresses...then I guess I'll have to find a new one." Carley's eyes widened. "BUT... I can't afford to lose you. They love you here. But one more accident and I'm gonna have to let you go." And with that, Jerry walked back to the kitchen to make sure everything was running smoothly. Carley breathed a sigh of relief and went back to her wonderful job as head waitress at Jerry's Lunch-In.

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5 hours and $47 in tips later, Carley was exhausted and finished with her day at work. Just as she began walking out the door, Lucas walked up.

"Hey Carley!" he yelled from down the sidewalk, watching Carley walk in the other direction. She quietly groaned to herself when she heard his voice.

"Hey," she said, turning around and facing him as he jogged towards her. She pulled her hoodie closer to her as she slowly walked.

"You finished for the day?" Lucas asked, walking alongside her.

"Yea, I'm finished....until tomorrow when it all starts up again," she replied, looking at the ground. _'God get me out of here!' _she yelled in her mind.

"Well if you're not doing anything I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go grab something to eat with me. Unless you'd like to play for it first or something.." Lucas said with a smile.

"Lucas....I don't know if that's such a good idea..." Carley said slowly. Lucas looked at her questioningly.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Let's not talk about it here okay?" Carley asked, looking around her. She spotted the car she was looking for and turned back to him. "We'll talk later. Umm... meet me at my house at around 5:30. There's something you need to know."

Lucas began to worry now. _'Maybe Keith was right. Maybe I didn't need to get involved with this.'_ But in his true Lucas instinct, he knew he had to go.

"Okay, 5:30," he said. Carley scribbled her address real quick on a piece of paper she found in her pocket.

"Doorbell's broken so just knock! And if I don't answer then just walk around back and come in that way!" Carley yelled at Lucas as she ran across the street to the car that was waiting for her. She got in and it drove away, leaving Lucas standing on the edge of the sidewalk alone with her address in his hand.

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Brooke finished putting her last shirt in duffel bag before grabbing her cell and attempting to call Carley one last time before she left. Again, she got Carley's voice mail.

"Hey it's Carley! You've reached my cell....you know what to do." _Beep!_

"Hey baby sis it's your loving adoring older sister wondering where you are. I'm coming to visit tonight and I was just warning you so you'll be there. But apparently you feel you're too good to turn your cell on so hopefully you'll get this before I magically appear at your doorstep. I should be there around 5:15 or 5:30 k? Love ya sis, muah!" _Click._ And with that Brooke grabbed her bag and a jacket and left her room.

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At 5:24, Lucas stood patiently at Carley's doorstep. He paused for a second and then knocked. Moments later he heard someone running down the stairs. Carley opened the door, out of breath.

"Hey," she said, breathing heavily.

"Heeey...," Lucas said, laughing at a bit at Carley's flushed face and ruffled hair.

"Umm.... come in! Just umm...sit down anywhere. Do you...want something to drink?" Carley said nervously.

"No no...I'm good," he replied, sitting down on the couch in the brightly decorated living room. "So...what's up? What do we need to talk about?" Carley sat down in the recliner across from him and took a deep breath. _'This is it.'_ she thought.

'Okay well...you know how I'm from Tree Hill?" she asked. Lucas nodded. "Well...my family still lives there. I left when I was 13 because my parents made me come here and live with my aunt and uncle."

"Why did they make you?" Lucas asked.

"Well...me and older sister are really close. We used to do almost everything together. So when my sister started hanging out with the high school crowd....I did too. And it got pretty ugly. Drinking, partying.....stuff 13 year olds shouldn't be thinking about. But it became a pattern for us. Our parents were never home so they never knew. But one night they came home early. My sister was lucky and decided to go to her best friend's house for the night but I wasn't so lucky. I came home drunk and my parents found their innocent baby girl throwing up in the pool. When my sister came home she tried to explain that she had gone too but they just thought she was covering for me. So they sent me to live here...to straighten up I guess. And it seemed to work. My aunt and uncle didn't take any of my crap and made me get a job. I've been here ever since." Lucas just sat there, absorbing everything Carley had just told him.

"So you were 13 when all of that happened? How old are you now?"

"16... my sister's 17. I've been here about three and a half years," replied Carley. Just then, there was a noise outside and moments later a knock on the door. Carley walked up and as soon as she opened the door she gasped. "Brooke what are you doing here?!"

"I've been trying to call you all day and if you had've turned on your phone you'd know. I decided to come down and visit and .....," Brooke stopped. "Lucas?" she said questioningly as she noticed him sitting on the couch.

"Heeey Brooke," he said, standing up and taking a step towards the two girls at the door. "Carley, what's going on?" he asked. Brooke looked at her sister.

"Yeah, what's going on?" she asked. Carley looked back and forth between the two before finally looking back at Lucas.

"Lucas, I believe you know Brooke..... my sister," Carley said. Lucas' mouth opened a little bit as his eyebrows went up and he stared at the two girls standing in front of him. Brooke looked at Lucas and then back at Carley who was now looking out the open door, hoping for a way out of the situation.

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**So there you go! Chapter 3! Hopefully I'll have Chapter 4 up here soon because I'm leaving Saturday for a week for vacation. :)**


	4. I'm Sorry

**A/N: I'm so so SO sorry for the wait on this chapter. Hectic last few days of summer and I'm preparing to start school on Tuesday so I don't know how fast the rest of the chapters will be posted. But be patient! I promise to keep you guys updated. **

She Will Be Loved..... Chapter 4

"I'm Sorry"

After several minutes of silence between the three, Carley finally spoke up.

"Lucas.... I think you should go. Brooke and I need to talk."

"Yeah.... I'll ummm.... talk to you later?" Lucas said nervously, making his way to the door. Brooke stood angrily at the door, still comprehending what was going on. "Bye Brooke," he said quietly, looking at her for a second. Her face softened as she looked into his eyes.

"Bye Luke." As soon as the door was closed after Lucas, Brooke blew up. "What was that?! I trusted you Carley! You're my sister! How could you bring him here?!" she yelled.

"It's not like that Brooke!" Carley pleaded. "I had to tell him what was going on! He knew I was from Tree Hill. He would've caught on eventually! I was gonna tell him about you when you showed up! I swear Brooke....I would never do that to you." Brooke nodded with tears in her eyes. She looked down before finally speaking again.

"I'm sorry Carley.... It's not your fault it's mine. Just seeing him here....it touched a nerve," Brooke said, her voice cracking as she spoke. "It's just.... I trusted Lucas with everything I had!" she said, finally letting out everything she had built up inside her the past few months. "And now it's like I can't trust anyone or anything ....because I don't want to get hurt again." She said on the couch and put her head in her hands, her tears now flowing freely from her eyes. Carley sat down next to her and tried to comfort her.

"Brooke, you're gonna be okay. And it's his loss. He lost you because of his stupid mistakes. And if he can't realize what a great person you are... then he doesn't deserve you," Carley said, hugging Brooke and tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I need to talk to him," Brooke said, sitting up and wiping her tears. "I have to know....I have to know why he did this."

"Brooke are you sure you want to do that? I mean you were doing fine until you saw him. What if you break down again?"

"I need to do this Carley. For my sake..... and his." Carley only nodded as Brooke made her way to the door. "Do you.... know where he might be?" Brooke asked quietly.

"I'm not exactly sure where he lives now but I have a pretty good guess where he might be anyways," Carley said, opening the door for Brooke.

_'What was I thinking? No wonder Keith told me to be careful. She's only the sister of the my now ex-girlfriend who hates me,' _Lucas thought as he slowly dribbled the basketball. It wasn't until after he had left Carley's house that he realized how he knew her from before. A small framed picture next to Brooke's bed. He remembered seeing it but not thinking much about it. It was a young Brooke smiling brightly with a young Carley whose smile was glowing just as much. He never asked about Carley though. He wondered why.

'"God you're so stupid Scott. You came here to get away from all that and all you do is dig your hole even deeper," he said to himself.

"Do you always talk to your basketball when you play?" asked a voice from behind. He turned around to see Brooke walking towards him, a small smile on her face.

"Nah.... only when I really have something to say," he said, smiling a little himself. _'Oh God, please don't smile!'_ Brooke thought.

"So.... you and Carley huh?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah... another troubled child in the Davis clan," Brooke said looking away.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Brooke shrugged.

"You never asked," she said looking down. "You didn't ask much of anything about me actually."

"Brooke, you know I cared for you...." Lucas said, walking towards her.

"Well apparently not enough," she said, her eyes welling up with tears. She quickly blinked them away.

"Brooke, why do we always have to do this?! I'm sorry, okay?! I'm sorry!" Lucas yelled. She flinched as his voice became louder.

"You want to know why we keep doing this?!" she asked, her voice becoming stronger. "Because you tore me up inside. I've never felt so unwanted in my LIFE! I was finally happy with myself and my life and you had to go and cheat on me with Peyton. You were the first guy that ever made me think about what I wanted in my life!" She was now crying, but she didn't care. She was used to crying. Lucas looked down. He couldn't stand to see what he had put her through. "All I wanted was a chance..... all I wanted was you," she said, her voice now quiet as she looked down.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Why?" she asked, looking up.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do it? Was it me? Did I do something? Was I that bad of a girlfriend?"

"No no...." he said, walking towards her and wiping a tear from her cheek. She closed her eyes and for once, he could feel the pain he was putting her through. "It wasn't you..... not at all. Everyone wants the unattainable. And that's what Peyton was to me. I loved being with you, really. But with Peyton.... I don't know. I thought she was what I wanted."

"And now?" Brooke asked, looking up into his eyes.

"Now.... I don't know what I want anymore. I don't know what's right or wrong. I just know.... that I'm very sorry for ever doing this to you. You didn't deserve it," he said, holding her face in his hands. Brooke swallowed and nodded.

"I'm sorry too," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For not giving you a chance. I accepted your apology a long time ago I just never let you know. And I'm sorry if it was me or even part of me that drove you here."

"You didn't drive me here, I drove myself here with the decisions I made. I don't want you to ever feel like it's your fault, ok?" he asked. She nodded before pulling herself away from him. She still loved him. Maybe she always would. But she would never tell him that.

"I should go..... Carley's at home by herself." Lucas nodded. "This might be weird... but can we still talk?"

"Of course," he said. "If you ever need me for anything.... you know where to call." She smiled a little before cautiously giving him a small hug. She breathed in his scent and for a second, she was at peace again. She looked up at him and he leaned down. _'Oh my God is he gonna kiss me? I don't think I could handle it if he did'_ she thought. Instead, his lips stopped at her forehead where he gave her a small peck before pulling back and grabbing her hands. He squeezed them before letting go.

And with that.... she left.


	5. Walk Away

**A/N: AHHHHHH I'm SOOOO sorry!!!!!!! Things have just been so crazy but I know that's no excuse to wait like 3-4 months to update this! I hope you guys can forgive me. Here's chapter 5!**

Disclaimer: Do I really need to explain?

_Quick note: I'm starting this chapter where I left off and then it's going to skip ahead to where the last episode occurred. I hope you don't hate me for that!_

She Will Be Loved....... Chapter 5

"Walk Away"

Brooke returned home minutes later to find Carley curled up on the couch. She walked over and kneeled down beside her little sister. She pulled the blanker that covered her up to her chin and tucked her loose hair behind her ear. The movements caused Carley to stir and soon she was opening her eyes.

"Brooke?"

"Yeah it's me baby sis."

"What happened?" Carley asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Brooke just smiled a little and shook her head.

"It's nothing.... We talked. I think I'm gonna be okay," Brooke said, sitting down next to Carley.

"Brooke you were always going to be okay. You just didn't realize that you didn't need him to be happy."

"Yeah... but it's nice to know that we can move on from this. I don't want to lose him as my friend," Brooke said quietly.

"Don't worry. You won't lose him. He'll always be there for you."

"Thanks," Brooke whispered. She looked around a second before walking over to the stairs where her abandoned duffel bag lay.

"What are you doing?" Carley asked, standing up and following her sister towards the door.

"I'm going home Carley."

"What? But you just got here. I thought you might want to stay for a little bit," Carley said, confused and hurt.

"So did I but now that I think about it, I don't think I can stay here. I'm sorry....." Carley just nodded. She understood. Brooke may have forgiven Lucas for what he had done with Peyton, but deep down there would always be something there for him in her heart. The two sisters hugged and Brooke kissed her sister on the cheek. "If you need anything.... you know where to find me," Brooke said with a wink.

"The mall?" Carley asked, cracking a smile. Brooke smirked and hugged her sister again. "I miss you Carls.... I can't wait for you to come home." Carley began to tear up so Brooke gave her one last squeeze before winking at her and walking out the door.

_20 minutes later...._

Carley was stirring a cup of coffee when she heard a knock at the door. _'Brooke? She's back already?'_ she thought. When she opened it she found an exhausted Lucas, panting from his run from the park.

"Is Brooke here?" Lucas asked, looking around the living room. Carley looked at him confused.

"No, she just left. Is something wrong?"

"No... everything's finally right. I have to talk to her, do you know where she is?" Lucas asked, beginning to get anxious.

"My guess is back on the highway to Tree Hill," Carley said.

"What?! She's going back?! Already?"

"Yeaaaaah... are you sure you're okay? Do you want to sit down or something?" asked Carley. Lucas began to calm down as he realized he was too late. _'I need you Brooke'_ he thought.

"No no everything's fine. I guess I'll just be on my way," he said, walking out of the door. He stood on the porch, wishing he knew what to do. _'How could I do this? I come to my senses and she's already gone. Maybe this is a sign....'_ he thought as he walked down the few steps to the sidewalk. He walked the rest of the way home with his hands in his pockets and his head down. The one moment that he actually knew what was right for him had gone all wrong.

_1 month later...._

Dan's sudden heart attack had brought Lucas and Keith back home to Tree Hill. What they didn't know was that it was for the best. Lucas was gradually building his friendship back with both Brooke and Peyton while accepting the marriage of Nathan and Haley. Meanwhile, the ones he cared for most were upset with him for not taking the heart test. Haley and Nathan's marriage was being tested by Haley's new friendship with musician Chris and Peyton felt like she was at the end of her road after losing the three people that meant the most to her. Brooke's new neighbors, Felix and Anna, had made their presence known in Tree Hill. Lucas even found himself attracted to Anna, despite his feelings deep inside. Meanwhile, Brooke had found her way in bed with Felix with a 'benefits' deal going on between the two. Lucas hated to see his Brooke steeping to such a low level but he knew he couldn't change her. Brooke was Brooke.... simple as that.

Lucas decided to give up his stubbornness and went to Nathan and Haley's to talk to his brother after their incident earlier that day. He arrived to find Nathan decorating a table for two and waiting for Haley to return home.

_**(A/N: This scene is the scene that takes place in DTMFG. I'm just using this to go along with what's going on in the story. )**_

Lucas looked at the table and asked, "Is this my apology?"

"No this is Haley's apology. I don't owe you one," Nathan said. "You know why? Because nobody wants to lose you, Luke; Not your mom, not Keith.... not Haley, not me." Lucas rolled his eyes and went to sit at the counter.

"There's nothing wrong with my heart, Nate," he said.

"Yeah? That's what you said after the accident..... You told me you didn't want to be afraid to live your life," said Nathan.

"That's right."

"Well I don't buy it, Luke," said Nathan. "I think there's something in your heart you're running from." Lucas smirked and looked away.

"Ok, what are you, psychic?" asked Lucas.

"You can make jokes all you want.... but you KNOW there's a girl you have feelings for."

"Nathan...."

"Look me in the eye. Tell me I'm wrong." Lucas looks at Nathan but can't say it. "See? Now you can be mad at me all you want; you can say your heart's fine... but til you tell this girl how you feel..... Your heart's gonna be flawed," Nathan told him. "You need to talk to her Luke." Nathan walked away to leave Lucas thinking about that "girl" and what he should do about his feelings.

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Lucas contemplated all day telling her how he felt. They had grown so close over the past week and he didn't want to do anything to ruin their friendship. He slowly walked away from Anna's after breaking it off with her. It was time. He had to tell her how he felt and hoped that she would feel the same towards him. He walked up the sidewalk to Brooke's room to find the door open. _'That's odd'_ he thought as he walked closer. He saw Brooke sitting on her bed and as he moved closer, he saw her kissing someone else. Felix. His Brooke was kissing another guy. Lucas could only stand there hurt as he watched this.

_'I'm so sorry Brooke,'_ he thought. _'I hope Felix will bring you the happiness you deserve.'_ As he turned to walk away he found himself face to face with none other than Carley Davis.

"Lucas? Hey! What are you doing here?" she asked, jogging the short distance between them.

"Nothing nothing..... I was just leaving," he said, walking past her.

"Wait Lucas! Are you here to see Brooke? I can get her for you...."

"No! That's okay..... I'm just gonna leave," he said, feeling his emotions get the best of him.

"No no! Hold on it'll take a second!" Carley said as she walked into the room. "Hey Broo....oh whoa... Sorry guys!" Carley said as Brooke quickly stood up and away from Felix.

"Carley, what are you doing here?" Brooke asked, confused.

"Here to see you along with Lucas outside."

"Lucas?" Brooke asked as she walked to the door and found Lucas walking away. "Lucas wait!" She ran up to him and saw a hurt expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing... I just...... I thought you were going to stop things with him Brooke," Lucas said, sad and angered by what he had witnessed.

"I did.... I was.... but....He's not what I thought he was Luke. He wants us to be together," Brooke said quietly. Lucas closed his eyes when he heard this. "And I know you don't exactly like him and all but I want nothing more than to have your blessing. You're one of my best friends and I don't think I could handle it if you weren't happy with me."

Lucas thought for a moment before he shook his head and spoke. "I'm sorry Brooke," was all he said. He cupped her cheek before kissing her head and turning to walk away.

"Lucas? Lucas...." Brooke called out but he continued walking. He would never give Brooke his blessing to be with Felix. He would never give Brooke his blessing to be with any other guy. But he couldn't tell her that. He had hurt her enough. So all he could do was walk away.

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**Well I hope this was worth the wait..... I'll try to update within the next few days! I'm going through OTH withdrawal ::wink::**


	6. Behind Blue Eyes

Disclaimer: You know the drill.... Sadly I own absolutely nothing.

She Will Be Loved ........... Chapter 6

"Behind Blue Eyes"

The next few days were proved to be extremely hard for Lucas. It seemed like everywhere he went, Brooke and Felix were there as well. And everytime he saw them together, his heart broke even more. He couldn't find himself to talk to her. He avoided her at all costs and she was beginning to take notice.

Carley had returned home after 3 years due to the fact that her aunt and uncle felt she should be home with her family and the pending bankruptcy. Although family really meant Brooke. The two were happy to be reunited and things were finally coming to place.

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"So Brooke, what do you have planned for us today?" Carley asked, sprawled out on Brooke's bed.

"About that....." Brooke started. Carley knew the look on her face.

"What now B?"

"I'm kinda..... going out.... with Felix today," she said slowly. Carley groaned.

"Are you really into him? He just seems so.... slimy."

"Carls he's really a nice guy. You haven't even tried to get to know him!" Brooke argued.

"Whatever Brooke. I just thought you might want to spend some time with your sister who you haven't had home in 3 years but apparently I was wrong," Carley said angrily, grabbing her hoodie and walking out the door.

"Carley wait!" Brooke watched her younger sister walk down the driveway and proceed to her car. _'First Lucas, now Carley? Who else is gonna be mad at me?'_Brooke thought.

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Carley, in her '97 Saturn SC2, found her way in the middle of town. After finding a somewhat good parking spot, she began walking, hoping to find something that looked familiar. She stopped at a little cafe. She walked in to find the cafe to be very comfortable and homey. She sat down at the counter and waited as her order was taken.

"Carley?" she heard someone ask. She turned around to find Lucas standing there.

"Hey Lucas," she said as he sat down beside her.

"What brings you here?" he asked as he winked at Karen, who brought Carley's coffee. Carley looked at him questioningly. "Don't worry, she's my mom," Lucas said with a laugh. Carley breathed a sigh of relief before answering his question.

"Well, seems Brooke would rather spend the time with her little boyfriend than me so I decided to see how the rest of Tree Hill was," she explained.

"Ahh.... you don't like him either huh?"

"Is it that obvious?" Carley said with a smile. She didn't know why but she found herself very comfortable with Lucas. Now she knew what Brooke saw in him. "I don't know... I guess I just thought that if I came back, things would immediately return to how they were before I left. Just me and Brooke against the world. Now I know how wrong I was."

"I'm sure you and Brooke will find your way. It'll just take some time to adjust," Lucas told her.

"And how are you adjusting?"

"Adjusting? Not exactly. But hey what can you do?" he asked, playing with the napkin holder in front of him.

"You can tell her," offered Carley.

"Tell her what?" Lucas said, flashing that brilliant smile of his.

"Tell her you still love her." Lucas just looked at her. How did this girl who he hardly knew know how he felt. "Your eyes say it all. Everytime you see her, your eyes light up. And when you see them together, it's like your world crumbles." Lucas just shook his head and slightly laughed.

"You're good Carley Davis. I have to admit that." They sat in silence while Carley finished her coffee.

"Well I better get going. But you should really talk to her Lucas. You never know what might happen," she said, leaving a tip on the counter. Lucas just nodded as she winked at him and walked out the door.

"And who was that Lucas?" Karen asked, coming to where he was sitting and picking up Carley's empty cup.

"That would be Carley Davis, Brooke's sister." Karen's eyes widened.

"I didn't know Brooke had a sister."

"Neither did I until a few weeks ago."

"She's cute," Karen said, giving her a son a wink. Lucas just rolled his eyes and laughed.

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As Carley left Karen's Cafe, she found her name being called out again. This time she turned around to find Peyton Sawyer, her sister's best friend.

"Hey girl!" she said, walking up to Peyton and giving her a hug.

"Wow, you've changed so much. I almost didn't recognize you!" Peyton said, blonde curls bouncing in the sunlight. "Where's Brooke?"

"Heh... where do you think she is?" sarcasm in Carley's voice. Peyton caught on.

"Felix huh? Should've known."

"I really don't know what she sees in that guy. I mean honestly, is he really that good?" Carley asked. Peyton just shrugged.

"I guess Brooke just wants someone who feels the same way for her that she feels for him?"

"But she doesn't. That's the thing. It's like she's forcing herself to like him because he apparently confessed his true feelings for her."

"Who knows with Brooke? She's Brooke. You can't tell her what to do or how to feel," Peyton said, looking around. "Well hey, I gotta go get ready for tonight at TRIC. You gotta come, okay?"

"Definitely. If I can drag Brooke away from Felix long enough to help me find something to wear," Carley said with a wink. Peyton laughed and then stopped to stare at Carley. Carley looked back at her, confused. "What?"

"YOU have an awesome voice! You'd be perfect to sing tonight!" Peyton said excitedly.

"No way! I haven't tried to sing in years!" Carley protested.

"Please please PLEASE Carley! You don't know how much this will mean to me!" Peyton begged. At this point she was desperate and she needed any talent she could get.

"I'll think about it," Carley said, giving in. Peyton knew she had gotten her.

"Thank you!!! You won't regret it I promise!" Peyton yelled at her, after giving her a hug and almost skipping away.

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That evening, TRIC was open and overflowing with teenagers and adults. Lucas sat at the edge of the counter, watching everything that was going on around him. Felix had Brooke in the middle of the dance floor and she seemed to be having a good time. But inside, she was a wreck.

_'Who am I kidding? Is this what I really want? Why didn't I just say no? Then maybe I wouldn't feel like such a horrible person.'_But Brooke just continued to smile.

Meanwhile Carley stood by the edge of the stage, preparing to perform. Haley had finally convinced Chris this was where she wanted to be and came home to a nervous Nathan. The two had run into Carley earlier that afternoon and Nathan introduced her to Haley. Little did Haley know, Nathan and Carley had a serious past together. Nathan couldn't help but feel awkward with his now wife and ex-girlfriend.

Carley had asked Haley to accompany her on stage, hoping it might be better for the both of them if they went up together. With some persuasion by Nathan, Haley finally agreed to play and sing back up for Carley. Now all they had to do was wait until it was their time to go.

**Hope you guys liked it! Don't worry the next chapter is definitely on it's way. Please keep reviewing! Good or bad, just let me know what you think!**


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